Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas (book 5)

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MerryLove
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Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas (book 5)

Post by MerryLove »

This is book 5 in the Throne of Glass series and was published on September 6th, 2016.

After the battle in the last book, Aelin starts preparing an army and finding allies for her new kingdom. We all know there's going to be a big battle coming, and this book is all about getting ready for it and moving the plot along. There are no huge revelations or events that really happen over the course of this book, except for a bit at the end. It is setting up the necessary scenes for what is to come. This did not, however, make it a dull read. There is plenty going on. It just isn't as intense as the events in the last couple of books have been.

One of the best parts of Maas' books are all the characters there are to love. Some of the characters are together throughout the book, so I found it easier in some cases to describe my reactions to the characters together, rather than on their own.

For Aelin and Rowan, there was not as much strong character growth as there has been in previous books. They've both undergone such huge growth in the past that it's apparently missing in this book. That doesn't make them any less enjoyable to read, but they are very stable from beginning to end. I felt like they were very much the same people I'd come to love in the last book, and continue that throughout.

Manon's story was perhaps my favorite of the ones present in this book. She continues the growth I began to see in the last book and quickly becomes a meaningful character that I adore and could relate to. I found myself looking forward to her chapters from the very beginning.

Elide's story started to develop in this book, and I found myself interested in her story despite its normalcy compared to the other stories. Maybe it is because it is a bit normal compared to the “specialness” of all the other stories. Plus, her story was separate from the others. Many of the characters were together for the entirety of the book, so her story was a fresh bit of something a little different.

Dorian's character is a little different in this book. I didn't really like his character, but I understand where it came from and how it fits. After the tragic situation he went through, he went through a period where he was lost, hopeless, and very easy to walk all over. He's come out of that and has his confidence and will power back, but he is still in a very dark place. He has a pessimistic look at the world and is still a very broken character, but he starts standing up for himself and others again. His personality is not one I enjoyed reading about, but it makes logical sense for this to be a next step in his journey back to some sort of “normal.

While Aedion continues to have more of a side character role. 
The reader continues to learn more bits about his character and the changes he's dealing with throughout the story. Like previous books, I learned snippets about him here and there, but nothing major. I found that the slow addition of further information, paired with that from the previous books, is slowly making him a likable character and I'm glad that it was included when he so easily could have been ignored.


Lysandra really started to shine for me as a character in this book. Her role and the choices she made me love her as a character more than I ever had before. Her self sacrifice especially makes her such an admirable character. I started to see her in a different light in the last book, but it's this book that really brings her personality and character to the forefront.

The plot of this particular installment had a very simple premise. The plot moves the main characters together, and is really more of a set up for bigger battles coming in the future than it is a complete work within itself. While the slow but important aspects of the plot in this novel were still enjoyable to read, it was the last 100 pages or so that made this book completely and utterly worth it. Things come into play that had me longing and loving the characters over again and yearning for the adventures to come in the next volume. It only solidified for me that this truly was a good book, not just one I enjoyed because of my previous love of the series.

While the calm plot didn't bother me, there were certainly a couple things that did. The first was the abundance of sexual scenes. I'm all for steamy scenes, and I was fine with them in ACOMAF (A Court of Mist and Fury), but I liked that this one was separate. This has been about bonds with people and war and conflict, and there have been relationships, but it has not been about being steamy love scenes. Also, the bit again about the Fae territorial parts and marking mates was just like it is  in ACOMAF. It felt like a copy-paste from that book, like a bit of a rerun. It didn't have enough element of its own to feel like it belonged in this book.

The other thing was the amount of characters pairing off in this book. It was a little ridiculous. It felt completely unrealistic and took away from the book more than it added to it. I'm all for those characters perhaps getting together, but you can't pair everyone off in the same book! I think it would have been a much better delivery if one couple had been paired off, while another vaguely hinted at a possibility that didn't happen or fully develop until the next book. Then it would at least feel a lot less forced. It felt like a child was playing with her dolls and had to have a Ken for every Barbie present.

Rating

This book earns a 3.5 out of 4. I love the series, and I love the author's writing, but one of the best parts in her books is the strong character development and growth that is lacking in this book. That combined with the lack of a larger plot in this particular volume left me unable to rightfully give it a full 4.
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Post by Mannie913 »

I just finished this book and needed to talk about it. I agree that Dorian has turned into a darker character that I don't particularly enjoy but I completely understand why he is that way now. I love that he and Manon are working through their problems with each other. I figured since the last book when Manon checked on him in Adarlan that they would end up together.
As for Aedion, I particularly love that they are making google eyes at one another. They both have the same history of being considered 'whores'. Many people wouldn't be able to understand that portion of the others history but it's beautiful that they do. I also love the fact that Aedion is letting Lysanda take the reigns and determine when she's ready. It shows that he understands what she's been through. My heart soared when he saved her from that water wyrven.
When Lorcan found Elide, I knew immediately they would turn into a couple. I was a little disappointed that it was so obvious so I wasn't too excited to read about them but Sarah really made their story insteresting. It wasn't an instant swoon. I also loved that most of the description of interest was from Lorcan. It really helped show just how strong Elide had become. Since she always thought so little of herself, it was nice to see her strength through another eyes.
As for Gavriel, I feel terrible. I wish Aedion would give him a chance. It's not his fault that he was never in Aedion's life. His mother knew who she was sleeping with and knew she had to keep Gavriel in the dark to protect Aedion from Maeve. So really if he wants to be mad at anyone, I say be mad at Maeve which he always had been anyways.
I'm curious as to Fenrys role in this battle is going to be. It's already announced how much he hates Maeve even though he's sworn to her. It's also clear that he has some form of attachment to Aelin. He wanted to be the one to train her, he's constantly reaching to help her in subtle ways. Even on the beach when Maeve kidnapped her, he had begged to leave Aelin out of it. Part of me says it's not just for Rowan's sake.
My heart shattered when it was revealed all Aelin had done for Terrasen. All the allies she gathered, all the side arrangements that had been made. These are things I would never have thought of. I hope Aedion forgives Lysandra for having to do her part. She was right to take on the role on the beach to command the new armies. I feel like their relationship will go to new heights with them having to plan a war by themselves. I can't wait to see what happens next. Until then my heart will have to try to heal!
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Post by Azeline Arcenal »

The ending absolutely devastated me when Queen Maeve took Aelin away. I was so upset that Aelin had to be dragged away before she could complete all of the work that she still had to do. I can't wait until the next book of the series comes out. This series is by far my most favorite series.
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Post by MerryLove »

Book 6 is supposed to be the last of the series. I think it made sense why this book felt like a lead up to a finale.
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Post by Mannie913 »

ZenaLei7 wrote:The ending absolutely devastated me when Queen Maeve took Aelin away. I was so upset that Aelin had to be dragged away before she could complete all of the work that she still had to do. I can't wait until the next book of the series comes out. This series is by far my most favorite series.

Yes and the way Aelin was took away ripped my heart out! I hate that she was whipped!
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Post by Th3b00kl0v3r »

The Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas is amazing. The ending left me completely devastated in how obvious it was. There were easter eggs throughout the book that led up to the beach and the way Aelin accepted her fate had me in tears. The way Sarah has developed all the different relationships is interesting because none of them are cliches, each pairing having their own quirks.
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Post by valegrissom »

This is one of my favorite series! The end of this book was borderline traumatic. When Aelin looks at Elide and says, "Tell Rowan…" Oh my goodness, I don't think I had any tears left in my eyes after that! It really was the most shocking and most obvious turn of events. Definitely one of the strongest installments in the series.
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Sohana Hasan
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Post by Sohana Hasan »

I really love this author! However, this book is one of the hardest ones for me to reread whenever I come back to this series; this is always because of how it ends. It’s heartbreaking.
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